Customers from local banks and credit unions have reported that they are receiving calls and text messages from criminal fraudsters who claim to be reaching out from the bank.
The scammer will often claim to be from the bank or the bank’s fraud center and indicate that there are potentially fraudulent transactions on their account and that they need to verify the transactions. The fraudster lists fake transactions and asks “did you make these purchase or are they fraudulent?” The fraudster will then ask for information that only you would know, such as your social security number or the last four digits, your debit card number, your username and/or password for online banking, or your zip code. Sometimes they will ask you to confirm the four digit code that “they” just texted to you.
Once they have this information, they will attempt to use it to access your accounts via online banking or by setting up a mobile wallet (such as Google Pay or Apple Pay) for your accounts on their phone. Then they can transfer money from your account to theirs.
They may even tell you to ignore the “sample text” if it comes to you because they know that you are likely to get a legitimate fraud alert message from your bank.
If you receive a contact that you deem suspicious, hang up and/or don’t respond, and contact us at 603.279.7986 as soon as possible.
If you accidentally gave out your debit card number, cancel the card in online banking or by calling the phone number on the back of the card. If you accidentally gave out your username and/or password for online banking, login immediately and change your password.
Our team of fraud mitigation experts are happy to help you and answer any questions. Reach out to us with your questions and concerns at any time.
